


No One Expects The Inquisition

by Elerrina174



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Love/Hate, Lyrium Withdrawal, MGiT, Modern Girl in Thedas, OC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-01 09:27:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elerrina174/pseuds/Elerrina174
Summary: Lexy really likes Dragon Age, but apparently only from a distance. As when a car accident where she should have died instead winds her up in Thedas, everything she does seems to go bad. She can't even get along with her favorite character. No one told her Cullen Rutherford could be so infuriating.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to try my hand at an MGiT where the character is already familiar with Dragon Age, hopefully, it turns out well. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Comments and kudos appreciated!

_When they said the blizzard was going to be bad I didn't think it was going to be this bad_ , Lexy thought as she turned her windshield wipers on high. The snow was coming down in a wall of white in front of her car and it was making it almost impossible to see. She was driving home from vacationing in the mountains and had hoped to beat the bad weather. She had just taken a much-needed break from work to ski and have some winter fun and needed to be home in time to start work again in the morning.

Her car was decent in the snow but when you couldn't see anything and the roads were completely covered that didn't really help. She had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel and was sitting as far forward in her seat as she could, trying to get a better view of the road. She was driving slowly and cautiously but she could still feel her tires slipping on the ice and slush beneath them.

A sharp turn was coming up on the road and Lexy liberally applied the brake to slow down for it. However even going as slowly as she was her car began to slide sideways. It was downhill so it picked up speed as it slid while Lexy frantically grabbed at the wheel trying to regain control. The side of the road dropped off in a hill and she could see it quickly approaching but no matter what she did she couldn't get the car to stop. It slid to the edge of the drop-off and flipped onto its side and then it's top as it began to roll down the hill, throwing Lexy around inside. At the bottom of the hill, it hit a tree and wrapped itself around it, shaking the snow from the tree’s branches and sending it falling onto the car.

Lexy groaned as she opened her eyes. She was face down in the snow and could already feel it's chill creeping through her coat. She picked up her head slowly and sat up. Despite her accident, she felt fine, she looked down over herself and the snow around her. She could move everything, nothing hurt and none of the snow around her was crimson. So, she slowly got to her feet and brushed herself off. _Wow, that kind of a crash and not even a scratch_ , she thought as she dusted the snow from legs. However, when she looked around she could find no sign of the accident. No road, no skid marks, no car and surprisingly no more blizzard.

_Could I really have been thrown that far?_ She scratched her head in confusion, it didn't make any sense but that was the only plausible answer. So, pulling her hood up against the cold she set out to find her car. It had all of her things in it, like her phone and wallet. So she needed to find it if she was going to get any help and get off this mountain. The snow was deep but without the blizzard, it wasn't that bad to walk in. She didn't know which way her car was so she just did eeny meeny miny moe and went with that.

She walked for a while until she came to the top of a hill. On the other side was a frozen lake and a small town that looked oddly familiar. Lexy’s mouth fell open. It looked familiar because she had seen it more times than she would like to count. She had run around that little village for hours and knew it like the back of her hand. She was looking at the town of Haven. The Haven from her favorite video game. The one she played as a guilty pleasure late at night.

“This can't be happening.” She said aloud to herself as she stared out over the frozen water beneath her at the walled village. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again to make sure she wasn't just seeing things. She was really looking at Haven and if that was the case then it meant she was in Thedas. She brought a hand up to hold her head. She was in complete shock. This was the sort of thing fanfic writers wrote about not the type of thing that actually happens to people. How had she even gotten there, Thedas wasn't a real place it only existed in a video game made up from the minds of creative people. It's not a real world that people just randomly end up in.

She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down. _Ok, so I'm not in Kansas anymore_ , she thought. She took inventory of what she knew. She knew that she was in Thedas and had somehow ended up there after her accident. It was before Haven was destroyed so that gave her a bit of a timeline to work with. She had played the game through multiple times so she knew what was going to happen. Maybe that meant she could help, but only if she could convince them she was telling the truth. _It's a place to start_ she decided as she began to make her way toward Haven’s gates.

The village was surprisingly quiet which made her suspect that it was before the Inquisition or for that matter the game even begins. If that was true then it meant the explosion at the conclave hadn't occurred yet and she may be able to stop it entirely. She knew that somehow changing the outcome of the conclave would change everything she knew. She could determine the future of Thedas and its inhabitant's lives just by deciding to keep her mouth shut or not. Lexy knew however that she had to warn them about what was going to happen, she had to at least try to save the lives of all of those people.

So she worked up her courage and wandered into the Chantry, which was missing the distinguishable Inquisition banner on the doors which just confirmed her suspicions. She was searching for the Seeker and she heard her before she saw her. She made her way to the door of one of the back rooms quietly and looked in. Sure enough, there stood Cassandra speaking with Leliana in her loud voice. Lexy stood in the doorway for a moment to steel herself before taking a step in.

She cleared her throat, “Excuse me, Seeker Cassandra,”

Cassandra turned toward her, “Yes, can I help you?”

Lexy couldn't believe she was standing face to face with the intimidating woman, “Yes, um it's a long story and everything I say is going to sound really weird but you have to believe me.”

They both looked at her strangely now, “Believe you about what?”

“You need to stop the conclave.”

“Why?” She sounded very distrusting.

“Because it's going to explode and everyone is going to die.” She held her breath waiting for her response.

The Seeker glared at her and took a threatening step forward, “Is that a threat?!” She growled.

Lexy swallowed nervously, “No, just a fact.”

She had barely finished her sentence before the Seeker had shoved her up against the wall.

“A fact because you have already set your plan in motion?! How are you going to do it?! With magic?!”

Lexy’s eyes were wide in terror as the Seeker scowled at her just inches from her face. Her mouth was dry and when she tried to speak nothing came out.

“Answer me?!” The Seeker shook her as she yelled. When she didn't get a response she seized Lexy by the arm and began dragging her out of the room.

“Where are you taking me?!” Lexy already knew the answer.

“If you are going to talk like a criminal you will be treated like one!” The Seeker responded as she pulled Lexy down the basement stairs with her. She threw her into a cell and then left the room.

_Well, that didn't go as planned_ , Lexy plopped herself down on the stone floor and crossed her legs. She had hoped they would just believe her but that had been foolish. She didn't know how but she had to convince them she was telling the truth, and as soon as possible. She didn't know how long the conclave had been going on but it could explode any minute so she knew she had to hurry.


	2. Chapter 2

When the Seeker returned she was followed by Leliana and Cullen. Lexy was happy to see some more level-headed people would also be the judge of her sanity and not just the bad-tempered Seeker.

“This is the prisoner?” Cullen asked motioning to her.

“Yes, she claims the conclave is going to explode.” The Seeker responded never taking her chilling state off of Lexy.

“How?” Cullen eyed her suspiciously.

“I do not know, she will not answer me.” The Seeker answered.

“You barely gave me a chance to respond!” Lexy retorted “If you want to know I'll tell you but I don't think you'll believe me.”

“Try us.” Cullen folded his arms over his chest.

“Ok, a darkspawn magister is going to rip open the veil and create a breach in the sky. He will destroy the conclave in the process and also create rifts all over Thedas.” She looked at each of them judging their reaction.

“You expect us to believe that?! You're lying!” The Seeker lunged toward Lexy and grabbed the bars peering into the cell at her. “What have you done?! Tell us!”

“I did! Now call off the conclave!”

“What would you gain from that?! Do you not want peace between the mages and Templars?! If we call it off the war will resume! Is that what you want?!”

“No! But if you don't everyone will die! Including the Divine.”

“How dare you threaten the Divine!” She shook the bars of the prison.

Lexy was thankful she was locked up and out of reach of the Seeker. Her eyes were burning with hatred and Lexy was sure if they didn't think she had information, she would be dead.

“You will tell me how to stop the explosion, now!”

“I don't know how to do that besides evacuating everyone!” Lexy was growing desperate, they had to believe her, and soon.

Cassandra glared at her for a moment before walking away.

“What are you doing Cassandra?” Leliana asked as she returned with the keys to the cell.

“If she will not talk then I will make her talk.” She unlocked the door and opened the cell.

“Wait,” Leliana grabbed her hand, “Let me, you are too angry to do it properly.”

Cassandra looked at her for a moment before responding “Fine, but be quick.”

“Of course,” Leliana grabbed Lexy by the arm and brought her out of the cell.

She pulled a chair into the middle of the room and sat Lexy in it. She then bound her arms and legs.

“Come on Commander,” Cassandra said as she left the room, “Unless you want to stay and watch.”

“No, I-” he looked over at Lexy, “No.” he finished as he followed her out of the room.

Lexy watched him go before looking at Leliana who came to stand in front of her. She was terrified, she was pretty sure she knew what was coming and she didn't like it. The Sister pulled a dagger out and held it up in front of her, examining the blade.

“Now are you going to tell us what we want to know or are we going to have to do this the hard way?” She asked in a cold flat voice.

Lexy swallowed nervously, “I told you what you needed to know, now please just evacuate everyone.”

“Doing that would halt negotiations and rekindle the war, we can't do that. However, we also can't risk all of those lives, so you are going to tell us what we want to know.”

She brought the knife closer to Lexy, “Please don't do this, I’m innocent. I'm just trying to help. Why won't you believe me?!”

“Because we don't know you, and we can't trust you,” Leliana replied matter of factly.

She brought the dagger closer to Lexy’s skin and was about to drag it across her when the ground shook. There was a booming sound from above them and everything in the room vibrated as the ground trembled. Things fell off tables and shelves. Lexy’s world was turned sideways as the chair she was sitting in fell over.

“Oh, no.” She said as she lay on her side. She knew exactly what had just happened. Everything we had tried so hard to prevent was happening.

Leliana glanced at her quickly before rushing out of the room. Leaving Lexy to lay on the floor still bound to the chair. She didn't know how long she laid there but it was long enough to count all of the stone that made up the walls and floor she could see. She wished she could be outside helping. She knew experiencing everything in person had to be ten times worse than playing it in a video game. But she hated feeling useless and if she was stuck in this world she would have to get used to a lot of scary things.

Eventually, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see the Seeker, covered in blood stomping toward her. She looked beyond pissed off and Lexy was immediately scared for her life.

“Get up!!” She grabbed Lexy off the floor and cut her bindings off in one move.

She wrenched her arm as she began to yank her up the stairs. She brought her out of the Chantry and into the blinding light of the breach. It was even larger and much more ominous than the game had made it seem. _No wonder these people are all so terrified_ , Lexy thought as she stared up at the massive hole. It swirled and twisted emanating a sickening green, which painted the world beneath it.

The Seeker pulled her over to the side of the Chantry. The other advisors were waiting there for them. She threw Lexy to her knees and bound her hands again. She sat facing all three of the advisors who all looked down at her in disgust.

“Are you pleased with yourself?! You have succeeded! Everyone is dead, including Divine Justinia!”

“This isn't what I wanted! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! I warned you this would happen!”

“You will pay for your crimes!” The Seeker spat back at her before turning to Cullen. “You do the honors Commander, your sword is better for it and I want to watch.”

“Cassandra, are you certain? What you are asking, it can't be undone. What if she is telling the truth?”

“Either you do it Commander, or I will.” She growled back through clenched teeth.

Cullen looked from Cassandra to Lexy before finally drawing his sword. He placed the edge on Lexy’s neck and her eyes shot up in terror.

She met his gaze and pleaded with him. “Don't do this, please! I'm innocent, I haven't done anything wrong! I was trying to help you!” Her voice shook as she spoke.

He studied her for a moment and she thought he was going to cave but instead, he drew the sword back and prepared to swing. Lexy closed her eyes and whimpered in terror as she waited for the inevitable.

“Seeker!!” A call came from behind her and her eyes shot open. “We've found someone, alive!”

 _Of course, the Herald_ , Lexy thought. “They can help you!” She blurted out, “The person they found, they have a mark on their hand and they can close the rifts. They can save Thedas!” She looked up, “Please you have to believe me.”

A tense few moments went by before Cullen sheathed his sword. Cassandra glared at him angrily, “What if she is right, we didn't believe her last time and what she said came true. What if she is right this time as well? Would you honestly throw away such a resource in these times?”

Cassandra watched him for a moment considering his words, “Fine, if you want to keep her alive so bad then she is your problem. Whatever she does is on your head Commander!” The Seeker stalked away toward the soldier who had called to them.

Cullen came forward and untied Lexy's hands before ordering a soldier to bring her back down to the prison. They put her in another cell and there she waited. For three days she sat in the prison before they brought down the Herald. Lexy peered at the young woman. _A female Lavellan, interesting_ , she noted.

The Seeker and Sister eventually came down as well and interrogated the young woman. They paid Lexy no attention and it played out just like the cutscenes from the game. The elf introduced herself as Ellana Lavellan and soon Cassandra was dragging her up the stairs to show her the rift.


	3. Chapter 3

After about a day of sitting in the dark damp prison alone, someone finally came down to see her. It was Cullen, he came alone and didn't speak as he unlocked her cell and pulled her out to stand in the middle of the prison. He stood in front of her with his arms crossed glaring at her.

She waited for him to speak but when he didn't she spoke up, “Can we take these off?” She held out her hands which were bound in shackles.

“No,” His answer was abrupt and held no sympathy.

“Are we going somewhere?” She asked a little confused.

“No,” He just continued to stare at her.

“Is it just you, or are the others coming?” She looked behind him waiting for someone else to come.

“Just me,” He said matter of factly.

“Why?” She questioned.

“Because I am to judge whether or not you are sane.” 

“Sane? Are you kidding me?” She shouldn't have been surprised, what she was saying must have sounded crazy to these people. 

“If you are a danger or just crazy we need to know.”

“A danger? I've done nothing but try to help you people since I arrived.”

“Really? Because how we see it you are responsible for the deaths of all of the people at the conclave.”

“I tried to prevent their deaths, I didn't cause them!” She was yelling now, enraged at being accused of the massacre of hundreds of people.

“That's not how it looks!” He yelled back, obviously becoming angry himself.

“How do I change that then?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“I did! And then you tried to kill me!”

“Well try again!”

“What so you can try to behead me again! Is that the first thing you jump when you don't believe someone.” She stepped toward him accusingly.

“No of course not!” He replied defensively.

“Really? Because that's what you did to me. I was barely given a chance to explain myself before I was thrown into a dungeon, almost tortured and then almost killed! Do you make it a habit of trying to kill innocent people?”

“No! And we didn't know you were innocent, we still don't!”

“Really? Then what do you call what you did as a Templar?!”

“What did you say?!” He dropped his voice to a growl.

“You heard me! How did that circle tower work out for you, when you tried to purge all of those innocent people?! What about Kirkwall?!”

“How do you-”

“I told you, I know things. Now, do you believe me?”

“I have never been more skeptical of someone in my life!” He yelled in her face angrily.

“Then come back when you believe me!” She spat back.

“Fine! You can sit in here until you corporate!” He seized her by the arm and threw her back in her cell before stomping away.

Lexy huffed out an angry breath and plopped down on the floor with a thump. He was always shown in such a good light. Nothing painted him as being so infuriating. She rolled her eyes as she thought about it. She knew that what she was saying and how she somehow knew the future had to be scary and confusing for them but she was honestly just trying to help. She also knew that clashing so violently with Cullen was not going to help. But she couldn't help it if she was brash and stubborn and that it conflicted with his personality. 

She soon found out that his threat to keep her there until she was ready to cooperate was not empty. Lexy sat in her cell for days until finally, a soldier came to get her. He escorted her out of the dungeon and up the stairs to the war room. All eyes were on her as she entered the room and came to stand in front of everyone.

“Now is your chance to explain yourself,” Cullen said from across from her.

Lexy decided to seize the opportunity, “Alright, you all are going to believe by the time I'm done.” She started with Cullen first, “Cullen, how is that ex-Templar thing working out for you? The withdrawal and dreams are pretty bad right now I imagine but trust me, it gets worse before it gets better.”

“What? How did you-” He looked around embarrassingly as all eyes fixed on him.

“Josephine, you're gonna want to work out all of those money problems your family is having. Oh, and be careful when you try, they'll be a contract out for your life.”

“What??” The Ambassador said in her thick Antivan accent completely shocked.

“Cassandra,” she turned to face the scowling woman, “My favorite Seeker. I'm very sorry about your brother but maybe he should have just helped those mages.”

“What did you say?!” The woman lunged toward her but Leliana held her back.

“Leliana, the bard, lay sister, spymaster so many titles, so many secrets. I think I'll keep them to myself in case I need them later.”

“Finally, the Herald of Andraste,” She turned toward the small elf next to her, “Eventual Inquisitor, the Dalish elf with the world at her feet. The only one who can save us all. You have a hard road ahead. Make sure to dress warmly when you close the breach.” She turned back to everyone now.

“Alright, you have our attention. Now how do you know all of this?”

“Ok, I know this is going to sound insane but you have to believe me for your own sakes, for all of Thedas.” She took a deep breath, “I'm not from your world. I don't know how I ended up here but where I come from Thedas exists but not as a real place. It's an imaginary fantasy place and so are all of you.”

“That's insane.” That Commander said in disbelief.

“I told you. Listen I know all of the major events that are going to occur… or at least I did until I arrived. I don't know how my presence or interference will change things but I will help you all as much as possible. But you have to believe me, I'm not the bad guy here.”

She surveyed the room looking at each person as they thought about what she had said.

“We need to discuss this, alone.” Cullen finally said before having her escorted back out of the room and down to her cell.


	4. Chapter 4

Lexy sat in the prison for another day while the advisors and Herald discussed what to do with her. She hoped she had been convincing enough for them to believe her and at the very least spare her life. While she was sitting there the Herald came to see her.

“Hello,” the young elven woman said as she approached the bars of the cell.

“Hi,” Lexy said as she sat up.

“It has occurred to me that we are deciding the fate of a woman whose name we don't even know.”

“Well, why ask the name of a person you're just going to kill.” She replied sarcastically. “Oh, and it's Lexy by the way.” She added.

“Well Lexy, if it's any consolation I believe you.”

“You do?” She asked surprised.

“Yes, you know too much. It seems the people you really have to win over are Seeker Cassandra and the Commander. Josephine and I believe you and Sister Leliana wants to keep you around for information.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

“I don't know what you said to the Commander earlier, but he really doesn't like you now, and he was your biggest advocate before.”

“I'm not surprised, I said some things I probably shouldn't have.” She said guiltily.

“Well if you think it would help your case I'm sure I could convince him to come talk to you.”

“Really? You would do that?”

“Sure, at this point what do you have to lose.”

She nodded her head in agreement, “Good point.”

“The Commander should be down momentarily.” The Herald said before leaving the room.

Lexy was surprised, the Herald seemed nice. She had always thought an elven Herald being Dalish and all would be distrusting of humans. So she was shocked to find out that she was actually in her corner. Now if she could just patch things up with the Commander she may survive this, at least for the time being.

The Herald was right, Cullen came down a few minutes after she left. He came to stand in front of her cell and glared at her through the bars.

“The Herald said you wanted to speak with me?” He asked in an unamused tone.

“Yes,” She stood up and came closer to the bars, “I-”

“What? Do you want to make more accusations? Embarrass me in front of my colleagues again? Speak more about things that you know nothing about?”

“Excuse me?!”

“Or are you just going to blow up another building.”

“How dare you!”

“Listen,” he stalked closer to the cell, jabbing his finger between the bars, “I don't know how you acquired all of that information but I am going to find out. Don't think that just because you've convinced the others means you're safe.”

“Is that a threat Commander?!”

“Well, it's not a compliment.”

“I'm not lying! Why can't you accept that?!”

“Fine, then where did you come from? How did you get here? How do you know all of those things? If this world is just a fantasy then how come you are here? Who even are you?!”

“I-” Lexy was not ready for that many questions, some of which she couldn't even answer.

“Exactly, just as I thought.” He said before she had any kind of chance to respond.

“You didn't even give me a chance to answer! No one expects that kind of Spanish Inquisition!” She paused, “Wow, I can't believe I managed to work that in there.” She said more to herself than to him.

He gave her a weird look before continuing, “I don't know you, and I don't trust you and you won't be here long if I can help it.” He went to walk away.

“You know I had asked you down here to apologize.” She called after him.

He stopped walking, “Well it's too late for that now, isn't it?” He threw over his shoulder before leaving the room.

Lexy let out an angry groan as she paced in her cell. Of all of the people here, she never expected Cullen to be the hardest one to win over. She definitely wasn't helping the situation but he was being overly skeptical and hard on her. Then again he did have trust issues.

“What did you say to Cullen?” The Herald walked into the room, “I think you made it worse.”

“Oh, I definitely made it worse.” She groaned.

“I thought you were going to apologize?”

“Yeah, we didn't get that far. Do I need his vote?”

“You have the majority so I don't think so. Although he won't make your life here easy.”

“He's never made my life easy.”

The Herald shot her a confused look, “You knew him before? How?”

“Ah… it's um, complicated.” Lexy wasn't about to tell the Herald that where she was from the Commander was a fictional character whom she had drooled over and wished was real more times than she could count. No one needed to know that, especially not him.

When they didn't come to get her after another day she started to get worried. She began to think that it would have been better for them to just kill her instead of dying a slow death from pneumonia which was bound to happen if she wasn't removed from the damp, dirty prison soon. Finally, they brought her up to the war room again. She was placed in front of everyone and the room was dead silent while they all looked at her.

Leliana was the one to break the silence, “There is a Mother-”

“In the Hinterlands? Yeah, that's Mother Giselle, she'll want to talk to the Herald.”

“Should the Herald go?”

“Yes, the Mother will provide some advice that isn't as helpful as you'll hope but she'll point you in the direction of Val Royeaux which is your next step. Also, you can help the refugees and acquire some good mounts while you're there.”

The room was silent again as they all stared at her, obviously in disbelief.

“How do you know all of this?” The Herald asked.

Lexy took a deep breath, “I've been trying to think of a way to explain this too you all and I think comparing it too a book is the best way. Where I come from your world, Thedas is like a story, a book you can read. But it isn't an ordinary book. In this book, you are given choices to pick from and based on what you decide the outcome of the story changes. The Inquisition’s story is told from the viewpoint of the Herald and you make decisions as that person.”

“And you've read this book?” Cassandra inquired.

“Yes, multiple times, but it's not exactly a book.”

“So you know everything that's going to happen to me?” The Herald asked.

“Yes, and no.”

“How can that be?” Cullen interjected.

“I know the major events that are going to happen but I also don't know how my being here will affect that. If I tell you guys what to expect that might change the outcome.”

“So you promised us a wealth of knowledge that now you can't deliver?!” He responded angrily.

“Listen, I read the whole story and if this follows that everything will work out in the end. What I’m trying to tell you is that I will help you in any way I can but if I tell you everything that is going to happen it could somehow change the story so even I don't know what to expect.”

“I think I understand what you're saying.” The Herald said thoughtfully.

_Finally_ , Lexy thought, it had taken them long enough to get it. She was afraid she was going to have to keep explaining herself forever.

“I think we should let her become a part of the Inquisition.” The Herald continued.

“You can't be serious!” The Commander scoffed.

“She has vital information and seems willing to help. I don't see why we should throw away such a valuable resource.”

“A resource that cannot be trusted!” He interjected.

“I have seen no evidence for that.”

“And I have seen no evidence against it! We don't know who she is, or how she got here!”

“Maybe part of that's because you never even bothered to ask my name!” Lexy interrupted in annoyance.

“And what would your name tell me besides what your parents decided to call you at birth?!”

“Not much! But it would be a start in building trust and not viewing me as some monster!”

“I have no desire for that!”

“Fine!” She yelled at him.

“Fine!” He yelled back.

They both turned away from each other and crossed their arms. The others were looking at them with varying expressions of concern and shock.

“Would you two like a room?” Cassandra asked, getting surprised and disgusted looks from both of them.

“No!” They replied in almost unison, glancing sideways at each other.

“Good, then can we be finished.” The Seeker looked to the Herald who nodded.

“Someone find our new guest a room.” The Herald said as they all left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Lexy had spent the past couple of hours walking around Haven. She still found the brisk mountain air refreshing after being locked in a prison for a week. She had been free for a couple of days and had decided to explore every nook and cranny of the small village just like she did in the game. Everything was exactly the same except for there were no weirdly placed chests full of loot, which seemed only fitting.

Everything and everyone seemed larger than life. She was seen as a criminal and outcast and still treated like one so she didn't talk to many people but she did observe. Everyone was basically the same as they were in the game. Solas’s head was shinier than expected and Varric’s chest hairier but other than that they were true to their characters. 

She had tried to make herself useful at first. She went around asking if anyone needed or wanted help but she was always turned away. So she settled for just wandering aimlessly around and trying to learn how to live in such a medieval place. The bathroom and hygiene situation was horrendous and the food was mediocre. The clothes were uncomfortable and so were the shoes. Some of the thick accents were hard to understand and she stood out because she was a human with an American accent. The common folk had no manners in general and the nobles had no manners toward nobodies. It was constantly freezing cold and obviously, none of the buildings had heat. It was a huge adjustment from living a comfortable middle-class life but she was just happy to be alive. Or whatever you could call being transported to another world when you should be dead. 

She found out quickly that the Herald had been right about Cullen not making her life easy. Somehow he had managed to be in charge of where she stayed and he had put her in the worst possible place. Even though there were cabins with space in them for another person he had placed her in a tent all by itself outside of Haven’s walls, she was literally an outsider. The clothes she got were old and full of holes. She was misinformed about when food was served and the rumors she had heard about herself within the few days she had been free were impressive. She had never thought him possible of playing so dirty but even though it was annoying it didn't actually cause her any harm, so she ignored it as best she could. The last thing she needed to do was dig her hole even deeper by picking another fight with him no matter how much she wanted to.

To be honest she tried to avoid Cullen as much as possible. She slept by the training fields but that was usually all she saw of him. When they did see one another they wouldn't look at and certainly wouldn't talk to each other. It just made Lexy’s new life that much more uncomfortable. She had always dreamed of meeting Cullen Rutherford in real life. In this case, like most ones, the dream was better than reality.

Lexy could tell that they were watching her, and keeping tabs on everything she did. Leliana’s people were stealthy but they weren't trying to be invisible. She could constantly feel someone's eyes on her. They were just waiting for her to make a mistake. They wanted her to know that she was being watched and that if she ever stepped out of line, they would know. At first, it bothered her but she had to remind herself that she was an outsider. Of course, they didn't trust her, she had to earn their trust.

However, she didn't know how she was going to earn their trust when they wouldn't even talk to her. They weren't giving her the chance or opportunity to prove to them that she could be trusted. Lexy figured her best chance was to wait for the Herald to get back from the Hinterlands so she could give them information about Val Royeaux. She hoped that the more she helped them the more trustworthy she would seem. So that's exactly what she did. She waited for the Herald to return and for them to inevitably call her back into the war room for information.

Now, Lexy stood off to the side in the war room listening to the advisors argue, just like they did in the game. They all had different views on whether or not the Herald should go to Val Royeaux and how much addressing the clerics was really going to help. She patiently waited for them to ask for her help which she knew would happen eventually.

“Let’s ask her.” The Ambassador said as they all turned to look at the Herald.

The Herald thought for a moment before glancing at Lexy, “I’m more interested in what she has to say.”

Lexy opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by the Commander. “We don't need her help. Last time she told us information we already knew.”

“I would still like to hear what she has to say.” The Herald answered calmly causing the Commander to groan in annoyance.

“You're wasting your time.” He scoffed as he turned away from them.

The Herald ignored him and turned back to Lexy obviously waiting for her to speak.

“You should go. You're not in any real danger and you will acquire vital information along with some allies if you choose.”

“You'll just give credence to what they are saying!” The Commander shot at them.

“Trust me, the Chantry will become the least of your problems.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Commander, you can be wrong all you want but Herald, what I am telling you is true.” 

The Herald looked between them thoughtfully for a moment, “I believe you,” her eyes landed on Lexy, “I’m going to Val Royeaux to meet with the clerics.”

“Herald-”

“That's final Commander.”

Lexy decided to push her luck, “Herald, is there any chance I could accompany you to the capital?” 

The Commander made a derisive noise, “Absolutely not, you can't honestly expect us to willingly send a criminal to the capital of Orlais.”

“I'm not a criminal.” She countered.

“I don't believe you.” He replied threateningly.

“Enough!” The Herald yelled above their arguing. “This is not helping. I'm sorry Lexy but I agree with the Commander on this point. You're not coming to Val Royeaux with us. Now, this meeting is adjourned unless someone else has something they want to discuss.” When no one spoke she nodded and left the room, and everyone filed out behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

“You're going to ask her opinion even after she excluded the fact that the Templars were going to abandon the capital?! Actually, we don't even know she excluded that fact because she might not have known at all! How can we trust someone when we don't know where they are getting their information?!”

Lexy stood and calmly listened to the Commander’s argument. The Herald had just returned from the capital and he had been waiting for this opportunity to throw her under the bus. The Herald wanted to ask her opinion on who she should pursue for help and he wasn't having any of it.

“Her information has been right before, maybe she has more insight into this issue.” The Herald responded.

“So you're going to take her word over your advisors?!”

“No, That's not what I'm saying, Commander. All I'm saying is that so far she seems to know what she's talking about and I would like to use her as a resource when making such a difficult decision.”

“Maybe I should come back when you guys have this figured out.” Lexy began to back away.

“Yes!” 

“No.” 

She looked between the Herald and Commander with the other advisors.

The Herald sighed, “Please, just tell us what you know.”

“Ok, basically it doesn't really matter who you pick.”

“Are you kidding me?! That's your insight?!” The Commander threw his hands up in exasperation.

“Is that really all of the information you have for us?” The Herald asked glancing at Cullen.

“All I can tell you is that both the mages and Templars are in trouble. It's a lot more complicated than you know. But in the end, the choice is yours. Whether you want to go after the mages or Templars it doesn't really change the overall outcome.”

“Is there anything else you can tell me?”

Lexy sighed she didn't know how much information she should actually share, “Tevinter is involved with the mages and the Templars are involved with a demon.” Everyone turned to stare at her now.

“Tevinter? A demon? Both of those theories are outlandish.” Cullen huffed.

“Maybe, but they're true. You can choose to believe me or not but the consequences are on you. I won't be held responsible for being ignored again.” She directed the last part toward Cullen who cast a sideways glance at her.

“What do you all think?” The Herald addressed her advisors, “Is Tevinter or a demon more dangerous?”

“They are both important and apparently in trouble Herald.” The Ambassador said.

“I say we go after the mages.” Sister Leliana gave her input.

“And I say the Templars.” The Commander chimed in as he crossed his arms.

The Herald sighed, “So I guess the decision is up to me.” She looked down in thought before glancing at Lexy. “Who would you pick?”

“In the um story I've done both but I usually liked to side with the mages.”

“Why am I not surprised.” The Commander scoffed.

“I need to think about this more before I come to a decision but I think I should at least visit the mages in Redcliffe to see what they want.” Everyone seemed to agree with that decision and the meeting broke up.

The Herald headed to Redcliffe and life in Haven continued as normal. Lexy wandered around inside Haven’s walls listlessly until she couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't really supposed to leave Haven but she felt like she was just in a larger prison and decided that if they wanted to stop her than they could. She wanted to go back to the place where she had entered Thedas and see if anything else came with her, or maybe if there was a way for her to get back.

She went to her tent, which was as far outside of the walls as she was allowed to go, and got her cloak. She then made a break for it and quickly began walking away from the village. She was glancing behind herself to see if any of Sister Leliana’s people were following her when she ran into something. She jerked back around and her eyes traveled up the large metal clad chest in front of her to the angry eyes that were glaring down at her.

“Where do you think you're going?” Cullen crossed his arms over his chest.

“Um… for a walk.” She offered.

“You're not allowed to leave, you know that.”

“I won't go far. I just feel trapped here, like I'm still in prison.”

“I wish you were still in prison.” He huffed with animosity.

“Yes, thank you, we all know how you feel Commander. Now if you would just get out of my way-” She tried to move around him.

“I don't think so.” He moved to block her path.

“Oh come on, please.” She pleaded. “I can't spend one more minute cooped up inside those walls. I won't be alone anyway, Sister Leliana’s people are everywhere.” She glanced behind him, “Look, there's one now.” He looked over his shoulder to where she was pointing. “Made you look.” She said cheekily before sidestepping around him and walking away.

“Hey!” He chased after her and grabbed her by the arm. “What don't you understand, you can't leave. I will chain you back up in the prison if you can't adhere to that.” He threatened.

Lexy groaned, “You are so irritating. I just want to go back to the place where I entered your world. I want to see if anything came with me or if maybe I can get back to my own world. Is that so bad?”

He eyed her warily, “I don't trust you, that's the problem.”

“Fine, then come with me. Then you can see that I'm not lying.”

He considered her offer for a moment before finally releasing her arm. “Fine, but if you do anything I don't agree with don't think I won't hesitate to take action.”

“I wouldn't expect anything less from you.” She said with a fake smile before turning around and rolling her eyes.

The Commander trudged along grumpily behind her as Lexy walked around trying to remember where she had come from. She knew it was somewhere behind the waterfall so that's where she started. She scoured the snow in front of them looking for any sign of her world. It had been a few weeks but it hadn't snowed very much so she was hoping if there was something it wasn't buried.

As she was walking along she almost tripped over something half buried in the snow. She immediately stopped walking and started digging in the white snow at her feet. 

“What are you doing?” Cullen was watching her curiously.

She fingers closed around the object and she pulled it free. “My purse!” She dusted the snow from it as she turned it over in her hands. “No way! I can't believe this came with me!”

“What is it?” He stepped closer to get a better look at what she was holding as she stood up. 

She dug around in her purse for a moment, “Here,” She placed her driver’s license in his hand. “Read it and weep. I told you I wasn't lying. I am who I say I am and I'm not from this world.”

He examined her license, “What is this?”

“It's a driver’s license so I can drive cars, which are kind of like carriages.” She responded absentmindedly as she continued to feel around in her purse. Her hand hit something,“My phone! And it still works.”

Cullen immediately looked up from her license to see what she was now holding. The bright screen reflected in his eyes as he stared at it. “What kind of magic is that?”

“It's not magic, it's a phone. It's just advanced technology, there isn't anything magical about it. Here” She took her license back and replaced it with her phone. “You can play with that.” 

Lexy slung her purse over her shoulder and began to make her way back toward Haven. Cullen trailed behind her with her phone, staring at it in wonder. When they got back she thanked him and took her things before heading back inside the walls. She hadn't found a way back to her world but she had found evidence to support her story. She hoped that Cullen believed her now and that they could begin to build some trust.


	7. Chapter 7

Lexy's phone clicked loudly and the flash enveloped the room in front of her in light. All eyes shot up to look at her and she cringed

“Sorry,” she lowered her phone slowly as annoyed eyes met hers.

“What was that?” Cullen asked as he glared at her.

“Um, I was taking a picture.”

“A picture?” He asked as he crossed his arms.

“It's kind of like a painting, but different.” She tried to explain.

“Do you take nothing seriously?” He lectured her in an annoyed tone.

“I take plenty of things seriously.” She retorted.

“I find that hard to believe. Now if you are done can we get back to work?” After fixing her with a hard stare he turned back to the Herald and the conversation they had been having.

Lexy frowned at being lectured by him and scuffed the floor with her feet as she looked around. She had heard this conversation so many times she didn't really need to pay attention to know what they were going to ask her. She was right as it didn't take long until all eyes were on her as the Herald directed a question toward her.

“So, should we continue our pursuit of the mages or go after the Templars?”

“Ah, the million dollar question. I'll give you the million dollar answer but you're not going to like it.” She responded.

“Here we go.” Cullen scoffed as he turned away from them.

The Herald gave him a sideways look and then turned back to her, “Ignore him, tell us what you know.”

“You're not going to like this but it still doesn't really matter who you pick. It's up to you. Whether you continue to go after the mages or instead get the Templars’ help the outcome is the same. Either way, you get the help you need to close the breach.”

“There has to be a benefit of going after one over the other,” Cullen interjected.

“None that I can see.”

“But the magister’s invitation is clearly a trap.”

“And so is the Templars, either way, the Herald is walking right into a trap and in both cases a very dangerous one. By picking a side you will be sealing the fate of the other but you have to choose.”

“I don't like this,” Cullen mumbled.

“None of us like this but she's right, we have to choose.” The Herald looked around the room, “Any suggestions?”

“I think we all are adhering to our previous choices.” The Ambassador offered, “The final decision is your Herald.”

The Herald groaned, “Alright, I think we need to continue to pursue the mages. A Tevinter Magister on our doorstep is too big to ignore.”

“What about the trap?” Cullen didn't look happy.

“It will be more work than you know but the Herald will be fine,” Lexy assured them.

“Of course you're going to say that. You'd say anything to get us to go along with your plans.” Cullen objected as always.

Lexy had about enough of him, “I'm not listening to this. Do whatever you want.” She threw her hands up and stormed out of the room before the meeting was adjourned. 

The door slammed shut behind her and she stomped through the Chantry. After only a moment she heard the door open again and footsteps approach her quickly. She was whirled around as a hand caught her arm and jerked her to the side.

“No, you don't!” Cullen jabbed a finger in her face, “I know what you're doing and-”

“Oh really, and what am I doing Cullen, trying to help you? Because I'm pretty sure that's what I've been doing ever since I arrived in this frozen wasteland. I thought after finding some of my belongings that would change your mind about me but it hasn't has it?!”

“No, it absolutely has not! I don't trust you.”

“I know you don't but why? What have I done to show that I'm untrustworthy?”

“I don't know, but I just can't trust you! 

“You can't or you won't?!” She pulled her arm out of his grasp and quickly turned and marched out of the Chantry. She was so over Cullen Rutherford and his bad attitude. She didn't need his trust or his friendship.

She wandered aimlessly around Haven lost in thought. She still couldn't leave and with no job and nothing to do, it seemed like the days lasted forever. She was constantly bored and had way too much time to think. She needed something to do or someone to talk to but no one wanted to work with or befriend the outsider. She didn't think life in Thedas was going to be this hard. With how her life here had started out however she shouldn't have been surprised.

Lexy decided it was time for another prison break and this time she wasn't going to let General Uptight catch her. She went to her tent without raising any alarm and grabbed her cloak before sneaking out the back of it. She stayed on the other side of the field away from Cullen and made her escape along that path. She knew it headed up toward the Temple, and that wasn't where she wanted to go, so she cut across the frozen lake and up the other side. She walked along the top of the waterfall before cutting back behind it. She made sure to always know which direction Haven was in so she didn't get lost.

She doubted anyone would even realize she was gone let alone miss her. She figured it would take them a couple of hours at best to figure out something was wrong. That meant she had a couple of hours to just roamed the Frostbacks and enjoy being free for once. Despite the circumstances, the views were very pretty and she could tell that the air was fresher in Thedas than in her world. They didn't have years of pollution pumped into their atmosphere. The white snow beneath her feet was just as crisp and clean as the air. 

It was refreshing to be out in nature instead of surrounded by skyscrapers and a bustling city. She had always liked nature but never had the time to fully enjoy it. Being in Thedas meant that her vacation from work had never ended. She wondered how everyone was reacting to her disappearance in her world. At least there people would know she went missing. Maybe they were looking for her or maybe they thought she was dead. She hated to think about what that must be doing to the people in her life. 

She stopped walking as she heard a familiar sound nearby. It sounded like demons materializing out of a rift. She took slow careful steps and made her way around in an attempt to figure out where the sound was coming from. Sure enough, behind a grove of trees in a small clearing was a rift with demons stalking around it. She stood silently and watched as the demons roamed over the snow. They hadn't noticed her which meant she could still get away unscathed. 

She was about to slowly back up when a hand clamped over her mouth and she was dragged back into a broad chest. She squealed in surprise against the hand and craned her neck to see who was manhandling her. She was shocked to find that it was Cullen.

“Cullen?” She whispered in a loud voice when he finally removed the hand from her mouth.

“Shhh,” he shushed her and peered around the trees at the demons. “Come on,” he pulled her along behind him as they quietly left.

“What are you doing here?” She asked once they were a good distance from the demons as she pulled her arm free of his grasp.

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?! You know you aren't allowed to leave! I have been looking for you for hours!” He yelled as he turned to face her.

“You've been looking for me? Why? Don't you want me gone?”

“More than you know! But you're a liability and the Herald wants to keep you as a resource.”

“Oh wonderful, so you can use and abuse me some more before you just throw me away.”

“Well, it's not like we're going to welcome you with open arms.”

“Screw you, Cullen.” She spat before trudging away from him through the snow back toward Haven.

He marched along behind her to make sure she actually went back to the village. At this point she was definitely over Cullen Rutherford.


	8. Chapter 8

Despite everyone's concerns, the Herald returned successfully with the full help of the mages. Lexy glanced smugly over at Cullen while the Herald gave her report. He caught her looking at him and rolled his eyes. That was a sight Lexy would never get used to. She huffed out a laugh at the thought of it. 

Within a couple of hours of returning the Herald had gathered the mages and headed up toward the temple. Lexy sat in Haven waiting for news with the rest of the townspeople. She was torn by what she should do. She wasn't worried about the Herald closing the breach like everyone else because she knew it would work, but she was concerned with what would happen after that.

Part of her really wanted to warn everyone about what was to come, she felt like she should have done that before they even went to the temple. She had missed her opportunity to warn them early but it would be better late than never. However, she was afraid of what would happen if they were prepared, if they somehow changed the outcome of the battle. If they altered the present, how would that affect the distant future? If it played out like the game Lexy knew they would defeat Corypheus but if she changed what they knew could she change how the story ended as well? She didn't know if she was ready to have that weight on her shoulders. She didn't think she could handle being responsible for the destruction of an entire world. But this was all based on if they believed her or not as she knew some people wouldn't.

She scowled as she thought of Cullen. She couldn't believe how he had been acting toward her. She definitely hadn't done anything to deserve that kind of animosity from him. Maybe she had said a few things she shouldn't have and she probably needed to apologize for her behavior but that didn't excuse his. How much more would he hate her if she didn't warn them about Corypheus? She sighed, that was a risk she might just have to take. Cullen hating her even more was something she could live with, but the destruction of a world wasn't. 

“Why the long face Sibyl?”

Lexy looked up to find Varric watching her. He was the only one apparently not afraid to come within five feet of her or talk to her for that matter. She smirked at the nickname. She never thought she would be getting a nickname from Varric Tethras himself.

“There are,” she paused as she thought of how to word her sentence, “difficult times to come.”

“Well, you would know.” He said as he plopped down on the half wall next to her. “How are you holding up? I meant to introduce myself earlier but I've been busy. Besides, I figured you already knew my name and probably more about me than anyone else here. Maybe even myself.” He added as he nudged her in the ribs.

She smirked, she had always liked Varric, honestly who didn't. “I do know quite a bit about you already. Honestly, it's just nice to talk to someone. You seem to be the only person here who isn't afraid of me.”

“Don't mind them,” he waved a dismissive hand toward the rest of the town, “they just don't know how to deal with an outsider. I, on the other hand, know a good character when I see one.”

“I'm a good character?”

“Oh yeah, a girl from another world who can tell the future and help save Thedas. I think I feel a new book series coming on.”

Lexy laughed, she couldn't imagine herself becoming the new inspiration for one of Varric’s books. Just as she opened her mouth to say something the breach in the sky pulsed. She and Varric both turned to watch with the rest of the townspeople as the breach pulsed two more times before finally closing. It sent a green wave across the sky as it sealed shut. The Herald had succeeded just like she was supposed to. 

Lexy got up from her seat, “I have to go.” She said to a confused Varric as she walked toward Haven’s gates. Just because no one else was going to be prepared for what was to come didn't mean she had to be. 

She grabbed her pillow off of her bed and wiggled it out of the case. She then packed up anything she had that she knew she could carry. She also put on some extra layers of clothing, so she didn't freeze to death during the walk away from Haven. Once she had everything packed up she took her bag to the Chantry and stored it off to the side in the main hall. It blended in with the other sacks stacked against the wall so she wasn't worried about anyone else messing with it.

“What are you doing??” Lexy whirled around in surprise to find Cullen standing behind her looking at her suspiciously.

“Nothing,” she said as she moved her body in front of her bag. 

“What do you have there?” Without waiting for an answer he reached behind her and grabbed her bag off the floor.

“Hey! Give that back, that's mine!” She tried to grab it back from him be he just turned away from her.

“What is this? Clothes? Are you planning on going somewhere??” He glared at her as he looked up from the bag. “Were you going to try and leave?” 

“What? No! I was just-” she was cut off as cries of triumph rang out from outside the Chantry.

“We'll discuss this later,” he said as he turned to head out the Chantry doors with her bag still in hand. 

“Wait! Cullen, there is something I have to tell you.” She called after him.

“It can wait.” He responded without even turning around. 

“No, it can't it's important!” She screamed after him as the doors of the Chantry closed behind him.

Lexy sighed, she should have told him earlier and now it was practically too late. The party was going to begin soon and after that, all hell would break loose. She still hadn't decided on whether or not it was a good idea to let them know Haven was going to be attacked but she guessed that decision was already made for her.

Lexy paced anxiously back and forth in the Chantry, waiting for what she knew was the inevitable to happen. When the doors flew open and someone rushed past her she knew what was coming. She left the Chantry before the bell began to sound and immediately started directing people toward its safety. If she could get people inside the Chantry now it could save lives later. She could already see Corypheus’s army coming over the ridge so she knew she didn't have long, and getting panicked people to listen to you and follow directions was a difficult task.

Once she was sure as many people as she could get were in the Chantry she began looking for supplies. The dragon hadn't appeared yet so that meant she still had time before they were overrun. She searched as many cabins as she could, grabbing blankets and other supplies for the walk through the blizzard. When she heard the dragon screech in the sky she took that as her cue to get to safety. 

She entered the Chantry only to be immediately jumped by Cullen. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off to the side causing her to drop all of the supplies she was carrying. 

“Hey!” She yelped at his tight grip on her arm and violent tugging. She jerked her arm free of his grasp as he stopped moving.

“You knew didn't you!” He yelled as he jabbed a finger in her face. “You knew this would happen and you didn't say anything! That's why you packed! Tell me everything you know, now!” He screamed.

“Will you believe me this time.” She retorted.

“This isn't a game! This isn't some story where you get to pick and choose what you do! We're not playing! These are real people, real lives! Do you think this is some sort of a joke?!”

“No! Absolutely not!” She was hurt by the fact that he thought she didn't take any of this seriously. 

“Then why didn't you warn us about this! You had to know since you apparently know everything else. There is no way you didn't know this was going to happen!” He accused.

“I did know, but I didn't know what the consequences would be if I told you.”

“What about the consequences if you didn't tell us! What about all the people that lay out there dead because you couldn't make up your mind, because for once you kept your mouth shut! You want to explain to them why you didn't warn us!”

Tears began to well up in Lexy’s eyes, “I-I didn't-”

“No! You didn't think, did you? You just decided what would be best for you! And now because of you dozens of people are dead and Haven is in ruins. Are you proud of yourself now?”

Lexy couldn't keep the tears from falling. For him to think that she didn't care, that she was so heartless and selfish. For all of this to be put on her shoulders, it was too much. How could they expect someone to handle all of this on their own? She was supposed to make the right decision every time while taking into consideration not only the present but also the future. She held the future of Thedas in the palm of her hand and one mistake could ruin it. The fact that people had died because of a decision she had made was already weighing heavily on her conscience without him pointing it out. 

He stared angrily at her as the tears flowed freely down her face. “I'm sorry,” she sniffled, “I tried to do what was best for everyone, for all of Thedas.”

“Cullen,” the Herald came up behind her, “this is not the time or place for this, save it for later. Right now we need a plan.”

Cullen followed the Herald as they both went back toward the main part of the Chantry to discuss what they were going to do, leaving Lexy to clean herself up before joining them.

“If we're going to cause an avalanche I say we make her go.” Cullen was saying as she walked up. 

“No, that won't work, he wants her because she glows.” Cole answered from his spot next to Chancellor Roderick who was clutching his side in pain.

“Well we're not sending the Herald out there and she is the only-”

“Person you're willing to sacrifice, yes we know.” She finished for him.

“I was going to say that you're the only person that knows what's going to happen.” he mumbled.

Lexy just glanced at him before continuing. “If that's what you want then fine, I'm sure there's a way I can get his attention.” Lexy wasn't thinking straight. If she was going to be blamed for everyone who lost their lives and for the fall of Haven then she didn't really care what happened to her, because she couldn't live with that.

“I think I can help with that.” Solas said from a couple of feet away. He had obviously been listening to their conversation and thought he would chime in. “I can mimic the magic of the mark that the Herald has, it won't be the same but it will be rift magic so it will be close enough. Although I'll have to burn you with it to make you glow like the Herald, it will be temporary however.”

Lexy looked around the faces in front of her, no one was asking her to stay. So why shouldn't she go she thought as she stepped forward. “Do it.”

She held out her hand to Solas and watched as he took it in his own. He held it in one of his hands palm up before giving her a sympathetic look and pressing his other palm into hers. Lexy screamed in pain as the magic no only seared through her flesh but also her soul. It was an otherworldly feeling to have her very soul burned by magic. She couldn't imagine what it was like for the Herald.

When he was finally done Solas released her and Lexy examined her hand. It glowed with green magic similar to the Herald’s just not as strong. She took a deep breath, she was really going to do this.

“Do you even know how to fight?” The Herald asked in concern.

“We’re about to find out.” Lexy replied, “I do have this.” She pulled the pepper spray from her pocket that she had taken from her purse when she was packing. She had a feeling it would come in handy later.

“I'll send some men with you to protect you and load the trebuchet.” Cullen informed her. She just nodded at him, he wasn't even worth a verbal response at this point.

Lexy walked toward the Chantry doors. There was no turning back now. She threw one last glance over her shoulder at the faces that were watching her before leaving the Chantry to face Corypheus.


	9. Chapter 9

As she left the Chantry Cullen's men were outside waiting for her. They did all of the fighting as they made their way toward the trebuchet. Lexy just tried to stay out of the way and not get them into any more trouble. She was already in over her head as it was. She had no idea what she was going to do about Corypheus. On top of all of that, she also didn't know how her involvement was going to affect the story. She had tried to keep everything the same but had just managed to make it all worse, especially for herself. She wouldn't be surprised if she didn't survive this confrontation.

When they made it to the trebuchet the soldiers loaded it for her and then she told them to keep any enemies off of her while she aimed it. Meanwhile, Lexy had no idea how to aim a trebuchet but it's not like she could ask one of the men to do it while she took their place fighting. They needed as many people as possible to fight so she really had no other option.

She tried to ignore the sounds of battle behind her as she cranked the wheel which slowly spun the trebuchet. She really hoped they were winning but was too afraid to look. So she just concentrated on aiming the trebuchet as quickly as possible. She could tell when they defeated the behemoth behind her as the entire ground shook. That let her know that she didn't have much more time. She turned the wheel once more and looked at the trajectory. It looked about right and too bad if it wasn't because she could hear the dragon screeching above her. 

“You all need to leave, now.” She said to the men around her as she examined the sky.

“But the Commander said to stay with you.” One of the men responded.

“Well, you might want to reconsider that.” 

“Why?” He asked. That's when they spotted the giant fireball falling from the sky heading straight toward them. “Oh shi-” he was cut off as they all leaped out of the way.

The ball of fire landed a mere foot from Lexy and she could feel its heat on her as the impact sent her flying backward. She hit the ground with a groan and was bounced up again as the dragon landed. She looked up to watch as Corypheus emerged from its wings. He was a lot uglier in person, the game did him better justice than he deserved. He passed through the flames with ease and seized her off the ground by her arm.

He gave his whole spiel and all Lexy could think was blah blah blah as he held her dangling high above the ground. He pulled the orb out and activated it as he tried to remove her “anchor.” When he found it was fake he was enraged.

“Do you think you can trick me?” He growled as he drew her closer to his face. “What do you take me for, a fool?!”

“Pretty much,” she replied with as much sass as she could muster. “Just add arrogant in front of that and I think it about sums you up.” 

“How dare you. You are nothing but an insect to me, a worthless mite. You and the rest of Thedas will bow to-” he was cut short as he bellowed in pain.

He promptly dropped Lexy on her back as he grabbed at his face with his hands. She sat up with a groan and a smirk as she watched him claw at his face, screaming in agony. She tucked her pepper spray back into her pocket, she knew that would come in handy. She picked herself up off the ground and walked over to the trebuchet. 

“Sorry to cut this party short but I really must be going.” She said as she came to a stop next to the machine. Corypheus spun to face her, his eyes blood red and full of rage.

He lunged for her but Lexy was quicker. She kicked the crank next to her and immediately began to run. She didn't exactly remember where the entrance to the tunnels beneath Haven was but she at least knew which direction to run. When she finally spotted the opening she ran that much faster as she could hear the avalanche fast on her heels. At least she knew she had aimed the trebuchet at the right place. She slid down into the tunnels at the last second as snow quickly covered the opening. She plummeted to the floor and hit it with a loud thud that reverberated around the cave.

Lexy blinked her eyes wearily open and groaned as she tried to move. The impact must have knocked her out as she felt groggy and confused. She sat up and rolled her shoulders with a moan of pain before rubbing her head. It seemed she wasn't too badly injured but she would be sore for days. The cave was dark and freezing cold. She shivered as she brought her hands up to rub her shoulders. She didn't know how long she had been lying in the snow but it had sucked all of the heat from her body. 

She stumbled her way through the darkness of the cave, occasionally tripping over rocks or slipping on ice. When she finally made it to the opening she was surprised to find no despair demons in sight. This concerned her but she was too cold and sore to really care. She was just happy she wouldn't have to find a way past them. 

The blizzard was still raging outside as she stepped out into its relentless wind. She knew she had to move quickly. She was already freezing cold and the air was even more frigid outside of the cave. Hypothermia was a real danger if she didn't get to cover soon, but it was hard to move swiftly through snow that was so deep you sank in up to your knees with each step.

She didn't know where she was and could barely see through the white sheet of snow that was falling around her but luckily all of the trail markers in the game were still there. She passed some broken wagons and cold embers which told her she was on the right track. It was slow going and Lexy was shaking so much she could barely keep her balance. She squinted against the wind as it buffeted her face and tore her clothes away from her body. She grabbed her clothes from the wind and wrapped them tightly around herself as she tried to keep as much of the cold out.

By the time she made it to the camp, she was delirious with exhaustion and cold. She was about halfway down the slope heading towards the camp before they spotted her. Cullen, Cassandra, and the Inquisitor all raced toward her as she collapsed in the snow. 

“You're alive.” Cullen practically whispered in disbelief as they reached her. 

“Thank you captain obvious.” She stuttered back in between shivers.

“We need to get you warm.” The Inquisitor reached out a hand to touch her but drew it back in hesitation. 

Lexy glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before trying to stand back up on her own. 

“Let me help you.” Cullen tried to help her but she jerked back away from him.

“Don't touch me.” She hissed before pushing herself upright. 

They all stood and watched as she made it a couple of feet before falling back into the snow. Cullen came and crouched next to her, he bent his head to catch her eye but she kept her gaze fixed on the snow. 

“Please Lexy, let me help you.” He said gently.

This got her attention, the tone of his voice told her he was genuine. By this point, she was too exhausted to fight anymore so she just looked at him and nodded. 

“Alright, here.” He said softly as he scooped her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. 

Lexy was shaking violently now from the cold and she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. Her eyes were closed and she could feel sleep tugging at her but she could still hear what was going on. She was brought in out of the cold and laid on top of a bed. Someone was arguing just outside of her tent.

“What do you mean there aren't any mages?!” Cullen's voice rose as he questioned whoever he was speaking to.

“What I mean is that all of the mages we have available are either injured themselves or are being used to heal others who are injured. We don't have anyone to spare.” A female voice answered.

“She just stood and fought for us, saved our lives and you're telling me we don't have anyone to in turn save hers. She's freezing to death!” 

“I know I'm sorry, but there are so many people that need help, we’re overwhelmed. I promise I will send over the first available person but that's all I can do.”

“Don't bother, by then it will be too late. I'll figure something out myself.” 

Lexy heard the tent flap open and felt the cold air from outside rush in as he came to pace in her tent. 

“You know you could always try the old fashioned way.” 

She heard Cullen audible jump at the sudden voice. From the sound of it, Varric had entered behind him without him noticing.

“The old-fashioned way?” Cullen questioned as he finally stopped his pacing.

“Yeah, you know some body on body contact to help heat her up. I know you're not her biggest fan so I could do it for you. I'm sure my extra layer of hair would help.”

Lexy cringed internally at this. She may have only been half-conscious but she was awake enough to be put off by that.

“No, thank you, I'll figure something out.” It sounded like Cullen was cringing too.

“Alright, well just call me if you need me. I would do anything to help out Sib.”

Lexy heard Varric leave and then the tent became very quiet. She wondered if Cullen had left too until she felt the bed move and large hands on her. She tried to stay awake but again slipped into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The nickname Varric has for Lexy, Sibyl, is a noun used to refer to a woman who is able to foretell the future. So I thought it was kind of fitting.


	10. Chapter 10

Lexy awoke sometime in the night wrapped in heavy blankets with something warm pressed against her back. She blinked her eyes open in the darkness and waited for them to adjust. She was still in a tent she noted as she glanced around. It was sparsely furnished and she was lying on a small cot in the middle of the room with- Cullen! She jumped out of the bed as she screamed in shock. This obviously startled him awake as he flailed for a minute before falling off the other side of the bed.

“Maker’s breath! What the hell?!” His head popped up from behind the bed as he looked around in confusion. “What's going on? Are you alright?” He asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Am I alright? Are you alright? You were sleeping in a bed with me… practically naked.” She added as she watched his barely clothed form sit on the edge of the cot.

“I was trying to keep you from dying.” He said with a groan as he rubbed his back. “Besides you're one to talk about being clothed.”

Lexy looked down and immediately blushed as she saw she was wearing nothing but a breast band and smalls.

“Don't bother,” he huffed as he watched her try to cover herself with her hands. “I've seen everything already. I've been sleeping next to it for the past couple of hours.”

“And to think I thought you were a gentleman.” She mumbled as she eyed him while ripping one of the top blankets off of the bed and out from underneath him.

He almost fell off the bed with the movement and glared at her while he caught his balance again. “You could be grateful, I did save your life.”

“Great,” she threw her hands up in exasperation. “Now I owe you a life debt too. Could this place get any worse?” She turned away from him while holding her head with one hand.

They sat in silence for a minute, Cullen on the cot and Lexy in the corner with a blanket wrapped around her. She heard Cullen sigh behind her before he took a deep breath.

“I guess I should be the one who is grateful since you… saved us all.” He mumbled out the last part making it barely audible.

“I'm sorry, what was that last part.” Lexy turned around with a smug smile, holding her hand up to her ear.

“I said you saved us alright. Saving your life was the least I could do. I couldn't just let you die.”

“Really? Because it seemed like that was a risk you were willing to take earlier. Heck, sometimes I thought you were going to kill me yourself.”

“Well, you are absolutely infuriating sometimes.”

“Only sometimes? With the way you act I would have thought your answer would be all the time.” Lexy replied a little shocked.

“Well, you can be helpful when you're not being daft.” Lexy rolled her eyes at the slight jab at her character. They looked at each other for a moment and she watched Cullen’s gaze trail over her. “You should come back to bed.” He said as he got off the cot.

“I’m fine here thanks. I think I'll just sleep on the floor.” She examined the bottom of the tent at her feet.

“Lexy, you're already shivering, I can see you shaking under that blanket. I didn't just save your life for you to sleep on the floor. We’re both grown adults I think we can put aside our differences for one night.”

“That's what you think.” She mumbled to herself, “Fine, scoot over.” She said as she climbed into bed next to him.

At first, she laid with her back toward him but then she turned to face him. He was lying on his back next to her, staring up at the top of the tent.

“I wasn't very helpful earlier.” He turned his head to look at her as she started to speak. “You were right, I hate to admit it but you had a point. I should have told you about Corypheus, about the attack on Haven. I made a mistake and because of me people lost their lives.” She choked as tears began to well up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” She sniffled, “for everything.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? You said you thought it was best not to.”

“I don't want to change the story too much. If I tell you everything that is going to happen it could alter the future. And if the future changes I won't know what’s going to happen, which means I can't help you. That also means that everything might not turn out as well as it does in the story I know.” She explained. “I’m so confused and angry. The entire future of Thedas is on my shoulders and the weight is crushing me and no one seems to care. No one here cares about me or the fact that I’m in another world away from my home, away from everything I know being forced to make life or death decisions on what information to give you and when. That's a lot to ask of one person.” She finished.

Cullen just looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, “I had no idea you felt that way. I guess it never really occurred to me how difficult this would be for you.”

“That doesn't surprise me since no one even bothered to ask my name when I first showed up here.”

“We should have handled your situation better but it was a bad time.”

“For you and me both.” She huffed as she rolled over and went back to sleep.

She woke up the next morning in an even more compromising position than the previous night. She was snuggled up to Cullen’s bare chest and he had an arm wrapped around her. She gently tried to wiggle herself free of his arm but misjudged where the edge of the bed was an fell off onto the floor. She made a noise when she landed which startled Cullen awake.

“Maker’s breath! Not again woman.” She cringed up at him as he peered over the side of the bed at her.

She laughed uncomfortably, “Sorry.”

He sighed as he ran a hand down his face and got up off the cot. Lexy pulled herself off the ground as he dressed on the other side of the room. She watched him pull his shirt on over his head and lamented the loss of her morning view. He may have been insufferable but that didn't make him any less physically attractive. He turned around faster than she had expected and caught her staring. She felt a blush creep across her cheeks as she looked away awkwardly.

“I'll ah see you outside.” He offered before leaving the tent.

Lexy shook her head at herself. They were finally starting to understand each other a little better and she had to go and ruin it by making it awkward. She hoped she could pull herself together for what was to come.

When she left her tent the rest of the camp was already abuzz with people running everywhere trying to prepare for the journey ahead. Since the soon to be Inquisitor hadn't faced Corypheus the camp-wide musical hadn't happened last night so Lexy hadn't missed much.

She couldn't stop worrying about what she had done. Now Corypheus knew she existed and she didn't know what consequences that might have. Although he hadn't met the Inquisitor yet so that might have put them at an advantage, but only time would tell.

“Whoa, watch out there Sibby.”

Lexy was yanked backward by the bottom of her shirt as a wagon almost ran her over. She adjusted her clothing as she turned around.

“So now my nickname has a nickname?” She questioned the dwarf behind her.

He shrugged, “It sounds catchier.” Lexy laughed at this. “I'm glad to see Curly took good care of you last night. I offered to help but he turned me down. Glad it wasn't just so he could kill you in your sleep.”

She let out a breath, “Yes, wasn't that nice of him.”

“He was more distraught about the whole thing than I thought he would be. I think he felt responsible for you almost dying.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes, “that would have been a burden off of his shoulders.”

“I wouldn't be so sure. You should have seen him chew out those soldiers when they returned without you.”

“Really?” She scanned her eyes over what remained of the camp until she saw him. “Are you saying you think he cares in his own way?” She asked as she watched him direct troops across from her.

“I think you volunteering to sacrifice yourself to save the rest of us kind of opened his eyes.”

She stood and watched Cullen for a bit longer. “Thanks, Varric.” She smiled at him as he went to walk away.

“No problem Sibby.” He smiled back.

She still wasn't convinced that Cullen didn't hate her but based on what Varric had said there was hope.

The journey to Skyhold was long, boring and a lot of walking. Lexy was bored to death by hour three of the first day. She had nothing to do, no one to talk to and all she could see was white snow for miles, with the occasional rock or tree.

Trudging through the snow was harder than she thought it would be. Her legs and feet were already tired, but luckily all of the walking helped keep her from freezing to death. She crossed her arms over her chest as a shiver shook her body. Her clothes were not cut out for the frigid air or chilling winds of the Frostbacks. She was wearing a lot of layers but most of her clothing had holes in it or was so threadbare that she might as well have not been wearing it at all. She had Cullen to thank for the bad condition of her clothing and general lack thereof. _Speak of the devil_ , she thought as Cullen appeared next to her.

“Here,” he said as he held out a coat to her.

She eyed the garment in his hand.“What's that?”

He looked at the piece of clothing and then back at her, “It's a coat.”

“Well obviously it's a coat. I mean why are you giving it to me?”

He shrugged, “You looked cold, I thought you could use it.”

“Are you watching me Commander?”

“Always,” He answered.

She gave him a weird look as she gladly took the coat from his outstretched hand. “Thank you.”

She managed to get one arm in without a problem but the wind kept grabbing the other side of the coat from her, making it impossible to get her other arm in.

“Here, let me.” Cullen was still walking next to her so he grabbed the other side of the coat.

Lexy's hand had been stuck halfway into the sleeve so when he grabbed the coat and pulled it straight her arm slipped through with unnecessary force. Her hand impacted something on the other side and she looked over in confusion as she pulled the coat around her. Cullen was looking at her rubbing the side of his face.

Her eyes got wide, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that.”

“Honestly I couldn't really blame you if you had meant to.” He mumbled as he continued to rub his cheek. "It's fine," he assured her when he noticed she was still looking at him. 

Lexy watched him walk on ahead of her, leaving her a little confused. She shrugged, it was Cullen who knew what went on in his head.


	11. Chapter 11

After the Inquisition had just barely gotten settled in Skyhold the tavern was already full. It was the first building they restored when they arrived and Lexy was in full support of it. She needed a drink just as much as anyone else. The night that it was finished it was packed. There was no sitting room and you could barely hear yourself think over all the rambunctious noise and Lexy was definitely adding to all of it.

She was drinking with Bull and his Chargers and they were currently the life of the party. Between all of their stories and shenanigans, they were keeping the party going. They had readily welcomed Lexy into their drinking circle once they saw how she could hold her liquor. Bull said she brought a certain flair with her drinking games and stories about her world.

She had maybe one drink too many and had now broken out into song. She was being egged on by the Chargers and other patrons in the bar and soon found herself standing on top of a nearby table. She was swaying her hips as she sang loudly over the cheers and applause she was getting.

_Get up up on the dance floor_  
Give that man what he askin' for  
'Cause I feel like bustin' loose  
And I feel like touchin' you, uh uh  
And can't nobody stop the juice  
So baby tell me what's the use? I said

_It's gettin' hot in herre, so take off all your clothes_  
I am, gettin' so hot, I wanna take my clothes off  
It's gettin' hot in herre, so take off all your clothes  
I am, gettin' so hot, I wanna take my clothes off

She began to unbutton her shirt which got her some whistles. She stripped it off teasingly as she sang and threw it into the crowd. She had just barely started the second verse when suddenly someone came shoving through the crowd. She didn't make the connection between the striking blonde hair and who it was until she was abruptly yanked off the table.

“Alright, clear out nothing to see here!” Cullen yelled from in front of her as she tried to catch her balance.

The crowd murmured but slowly dissipated and went back to their drinks. Lexy fixed her unfocused eyes on the man in front of her and watched him uncrumple her shirt and hold it up to her.

“Put this on.” He ordered as he pressed her white shirt toward her.

She eyed first the shirt and then him. He sighed and took a step closer as he moved the shirt around her and began to dress her. He slipped both of her arms into the shirt and pulled it up to her shoulders. Then he started from the bottom and began to button it up.

“You're going the wrong way.” She mumbled.

“What?” He didn't take his eyes from where he was slowly buttoning her shirt.

“Y-you should be unbuttoning my s-shirt, not buttoning it.” She slurred.

He finished the last button and looked up at her. “What?”

She blinked a couple of time's and then looked into his amber eyes seductively as she reached up to unbutton her shirt. Confusion flashed through his eyes before his hand shot out to stop her.

“No- no Lexy, you need to keep your clothes on.”

She frowned, “You don't want me?”

He shook his head in confusion, “What??”

“Am I too ugly for you? S’that it?”

“Lexy that's not-”

“Or do you just hate me too much??”

He opened his mouth to answer her but closed it as he just shook his head and buttoned her shirt again. Lexy’s head lulled slightly as she watched him.

“Why d’ya hate me so much?” She asked.

He raised an eyebrow, “Why do you want to take your clothes off so much?” He countered as he once again finished buttoning her shirt and stepped away from her to cross his arms.

“Cuz you're hot.” She smirked. A look of surprise shot across his face. “I've wanted to take my clothes off for you since the very beginning.” She stalked towards him slowly. “You're cute,” she poked a finger into his chest and he swallowed as he unfolded his arms. “I've had a crush on you since I first saw you in my world. I've dreamed about meeting you for years.” She walked her fingers up his chest and stepped closer before raising herself on her tiptoes. She traced his jaw with her finger as she drew closer. He swallowed nervously and suddenly took a step back.

“You're not in your right mind.” He said quickly. Lexy's countenance fell as she watched him fidget. “You don't know what you're saying.”

“Why do you hate me?” She asked again as he turned to leave.

He paused with his back toward her, “Trust does not come easily to me, and because you were right, about my past… about everything.” He finished quietly before he walked away without giving her a chance to respond.

Lexy didn't know how she got back to her room that night. She could barely remember the night before when she awoke in the morning with a hangover and a feeling of dread. It all started to come back to her however with the looks she kept getting and some of the gestures people made at her. Varric definitely didn't help with the embarrassment with the comments he made every time he passed her. With what she was remembering she definitely needed to talk to Cullen.

She had a feeling she would get a headache from talking to him. Since she already had one she decided to go grab a cup of tea and something to eat to ease the pain before she made her way toward his office.

Skyhold wasn't anywhere close to being finished. The repairs were well underway and everyone was busy with the work. They hadn't quite gotten a routine going yet so she wandered into the kitchen to see if she could convince the chef or maybe one of her helpers to take pity on her and give her something to eat and drink.

She had just sat down at the table in the middle of the room where the chef had placed some food for her when the door to the kitchen swung open. Cullen barged into the room, clipboard in hand with his usual serious expression on his face. He seemed to be buried in the missives on his board as he didn't even lift his head when he walked into the room.

“Ah…” he paused as his eyes skimmed the page in front of him. “The usual chef.” He glanced up quickly as he spoke before going right back to his papers. “Please,” he added after only a second.

“It's already waiting for you at the end of the table.” The chef replied in a dry voice without looking up from the pot she was stirring.

Lexy spooned more porridge into her mouth as she watched Cullen walk across the room and pick up his food. He looked as prim and proper as usual, not a hair out of place. It was only after the door was closing behind him that Lexy remembered she needed to talk to him. She shoved away from the table and stood in a hurry as she rushed to catch up with him. She made sure to thank the chef on her way out and took an extra roll for the road.

“Cullen! Wait!” She yelled as she ran out the door after him.

He paused and turned to face her as she jogged up to him. He sighed, “Listen, Lexy, if you're going to take your clothes off again I really don't need to be here for that.”

Lexy stopped in front of him and made a face as she put her hands on her hips. “That was a one time show, what kind of girl do you think I am?”

“One that thinks I'm ‘hot’ apparently, and who wants to take her clothes off for me.”

Lexy's mouth dropped open, “That...you- you weren't supposed to find out.” She managed to stutter out.

“You're the one who told me so I don't know what you're complaining about.” He huffed.

Lexy crossed her arms and frowned, “You know I wanted to talk to you so I could apologize for last night.”

“How come your apologies always end with you never actually apologizing.” He folded his arms as well.

“Well if you weren't so frustrating to talk to.” She mumbled back.

“Me?” He raised his eyebrows. “You're the one that's frustrating. Last time we spoke you were trying to take your clothes off for me.”

“Oh would you just drop that already! I'm sorry, ok? I was drunk.”

“Well, maybe you should learn to control your drinking.” His tone caught her attention.

“Are you calling me a drunk?” She questioned.

“No,” he put his hands up to pacify her, “I'm just saying that maybe you should get a better handle on yourself, learn to act a little more like a lady… instead of an Orlesian tramp.”

Something snapped and Lexy lunged at him. She knocked his clipboard out of his hands violently.

“Maker!” He quickly jerked away from her.

“I'll show you tramp!” She snarled as she stomped all over the papers that had fallen to the floor.

“No! Lexy, don't-”

She kicked his clipboard across the room along with the papers still attached to it. The others were strewn around beneath her all crumpled and ripped with dirty boot prints smudging the writing.

“How's that for a tramp.” She spat as she flicked her head forward and strode away, leaving Cullen to clean up the mess he had provoked.

When she got back to the main hall she was intercepted by the Inquisitor and Ambassador who invited her to the war room meeting they were headed to. She was glad they were including her but at the same time that meant she would have to face Cullen, in a closed space. They started the meeting with him and he ended up interrupting them a few minutes late.

“Sorry I'm late everyone, I apologize for keeping you waiting.” He said as he closed the door behind him. When he turned around and saw Lexy he groaned.

“Problem Commander?” The ever observant Leliana asked.

“No,” he replied through tight lips as he placed his mess of papers on the table in front of him.

“What happened to all of your notes?” The Inquisitor asked as she leaned over the table to get a better look.

“I dropped them,” the Inquisitor raised her eyebrows, he shrugged, “in the dirt.”

Lexy did her best to keep her face neutral but she ended up getting a curious look from Leliana. She was pretty sure that was the last time Cullen would call her a name, to her face at least. It served him right if he was going to be rude and have a bad attitude about everything.


	12. Chapter 12

Lexy's conscience was getting the better of her. Maybe Cullen had deserved what was coming to him from his bad attitude and poor people skills but she may have overreacted, or at least acted like a child about it. She knew she should make an attempt at an apology. Even if he was right about all of her apologies never actually solving anything. They always seemed to make the situation worse. She just couldn't understand why the man disliked her so much. She had thought they had made some progress on the journey over from Haven but apparently that progress had been short lived.

Soon Lexy found herself in another war room meeting standing opposite the Commander. She picked her eyes up from the weird doodles she was drawing on her paper long enough to glance at him. Like the good little Chantry boy he was, he was listening intently to what the Inquisitor was saying. Ellana was headed to Crestwood soon to locate Stroud at the urging of Lexy who assured her that it was mostly safe besides some zombies and also quite necessary.

She let her eyes linger on his face as she traced the line of the scar bisecting his upper lip with her gaze. Damn he was sexy. How did he manage to make a scar look so sexy? And how did she manage to find time to admire his looks and the man she knew he could be when he was acting like such a prick?

He must have felt her gaze on him as his eyes wandered over from the Inquisitor to rest on her. Lexy immediately snapped her eyes back to the paper in front of her when he caught her staring. She resumed one of the doodles at the top of the page and tried to ignore the heat of his gaze that was now resting on her.

Once the meeting was called to a close and everyone started to leave Lexy spoke up. “Um Commander?”

His eyes slowly looked up from the paper he was skimming and Lexy couldn't help but smirk when she noticed his fingers tighten on his clipboard. He gave her a strange look not only because she was talking to him and not in a snarky tone but also because she had called him by his title. She didn't think she had ever done that before and it seemed to catch him off guard. She was trying something new. She decided calling him by his title now in front of the others might show him some respect and that she was serious and sincere.

“May I have a word?” She asked now that she had his attention. She glanced around the room at the three other pairs of eyes that were focused on them. “... alone?”

Cullen looked at her for a moment before putting down his clipboard and banging his papers into a neat pile in front of him. “Of… course.” He replied a little hesitantly.

Lexy waited until everyone else had filed out of the room before speaking again. She took a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize. I acted inappropriately the other day and I'm sorry for trampling on your papers… like a tramp.”

“I also acted inappropriately. I'm sorry for calling you a tramp when you certainly aren't one.” He answered just as sincerely.

Lexy raised and eyebrow, “certainly?”

“Don't push your luck.” He mumbled as he looked away from her to gather his things.

Lexy paused and looked around. “Nothing exploded… I'm still here…” she took a step toward Cullen and placed her hand on the side of his face. He cringed and pulled back away from her. “You're still here,” she ignored his reaction. “Did we both just apologize to each other, and the world didn't end?”

Cullen looked back up at her with vague interest, “apparently,” he commented.

“Hah! In your face!” Lexy jabbed a finger into his chest and he looked up at her in surprise. “I knew I could apologize without starting something.”

Cullen grimaced and brushed her hand off of him. “Good for you, now if you're finished I have work to do.”

Lexy waved a hand at him as she headed toward the door. “Me too you know I'm very busy. Places to go, people to see.” She called to him as she pushed the large doors open and left him alone with his papers.

By places to go and people to see she meant she was going the bathhouse and would see herself in the mirror. It was midday so it was usually pretty empty because everyone was busy working. She could use a good long relaxing bath after the week she had.

She chose one of the private bathrooms off to the side and quickly heated herself up some water. As she stuck a toe in the water to test the temperature she suddenly realized she had forgotten her towel outside in the main bath area. She swore under her breath as she went to the door and peeked out. The coast looked clear so she opened the door and made a beeline across the room to her towel. She had her head down and was walking quickly so about halfway across the room when she ran face first into a solid object she squealed in surprise. Especially when the object toppled over in front of her and broke her fall. She landed on a firm warm surface and froze.

“Maker’s breath!”

Lexy's heart stopped beating for a moment. She knew that expression, that voice, the golden skin beneath her hands… She screamed when she looked up from the chest she was lying on and made eye contact with Cullen. She scrambled off of his naked form as quickly as she could and dove into the large communal bath next to her. When she breached the surface of the water she cracked an eye to glance at him. His towel had come off during their collision but by the time she came up for air he was standing with it fastened securely around his waist again.

He caught her gaze and cleared his throat. “Well… when you said you wanted to take your clothes off for me I didn't think-”

“Cullen!” Lexy yelled his name and hid her face in her hands.

“Sorry, it's just” he rubbed the back of his neck, “this is awkward.”

“Thank you captain obvious.” She said with enough salt to last her a lifetime.

“Of all of the people I could have literally run into in the bathhouse-”

“Yes we know. You're lamenting the fact that it wasn't the sweet, pretty, Dalish Inquisitor with the cheerful disposition instead of the snarky, spiteful, weird looking alien girl from another planet who is here to destroy your world and everyone in it.” She rolled her eyes and looked away from him.

“I'd say more sarcastic than snarky, spiteful… sometimes, definitely alien, I've never said anything about your appearance and I certainly don't think your here to destroy the world.” He replied, looking directly at her.

She looked back at him and crossed her arms under the water. “How does that help our situation at all. You've now seen me completely naked and I've now seen you completely naked.”

“I don't see the problem. I mean you wanted to take your clothes off for me anyway so…” he shrugged “mission accomplished?”

“Cullen! When are you going to let that go?!”

“Probably never.” Lexy could swear she saw a smile pulling at his lips.

“Are you messing with me?” She squinted her eyes at him, he was acting differently.

He frowned a little, “You always make jokes in bad situations so I figured I would give it a try. Maybe it would help make this less awkward, especially for you.”

She tilted her head as she looked at him in confusion. “You're thinking of _me_ , and trying to make this better for _me_?”

“Well, you seem to be the most uncomfortable one here. I mean your cheeks are still red and I think they've just continued to get redder.”

Lexy groaned and buried her face in her hands. _Curse him_ , she thought. Why did he have to suddenly be decent to her when they were both naked?

“You know, despite what you seem to think of me I don't believe I'm that terrible of a person. I get along just fine with about everyone else, besides the occasional noble.”

“What I think of you?” Lexy removed her hands from her eyes. “What about what you think of me? I came into this world with a perfectly wonderful opinion of you and you managed to ruin it.”

“You- you did?” He seemed surprised.

“Yes, I thought you were a great person. You know I never thought I would actually meet the fictional characters from the story but when I realized I was actually here you were by far the person I looked forward to meeting the most. But as you love to remind me this is real, not a story and I probably just built you up too much in my mind.” He was staring at her with his mouth slightly agape. “Now despite how much I've enjoyed this little heart to heart I have a bath that's getting cold waiting for me. I am over this. Watch me walk naked out of here or don't, I don't care but I am getting my towel and taking that bath no matter what you do.”

She started to walk toward the edge of the bath and Cullen watched her for a moment before diverting his gaze. _Still a gentleman_ , she thought as she climbed naked out of the bath and hurried over to her towel. She grabbed it and wrapped it tightly around herself before making the walk back to her room. By the time she turned around Cullen had removed his towel and was already submerged in the bath. They made awkward eye contact for a moment before Lexy scurried back to her room. She shed her towel once the door was closed behind her and climbed into the now lukewarm bath. _That was weird_ , she thought as she sank below the bubbles.


End file.
